85: Chapter 85 Go back and report, I'll study it.

Compared to the wild where they could dig freely without holding back, things were much more careful inside Baiye City.

Whether it was Human race martial artists or Abyss Warriors, their five senses were exceptionally keen, and any slight disturbance would attract their attention.

Especially for a "hundred-ton king" like Chen Mo, if he dared to exert too much force underground, those above would immediately discover them.

So now, Chen Mo sat not far away with his hands wrapped around his knees, watching the others work.

"Hmm... This is likely it."

Blue light flickered in Su Qingyue's eyes, and a trail of blood-tinged tears flowed down from the corners of her eyes.

"I have a premonition that going up from here will yield results, but I don't know specifically what it is."

"Then let's go up and take a look."

Lin Ye didn't hesitate at all; he immediately grabbed his entrenching tool and started digging upward.

"Is it an illusion?"

Chen Mo touched the surrounding rock wall, feeling that the temperature was hotter than where they had just come from.

Meanwhile, directly above Chen Mo and his group, work was in full swing.

The overseer swung the steel whip in his hand, leaving trails of bloody welts on the bodies of the slaves who tried to slack off.

"Hurry up! Your efficiency concerns the plan of the Venerable!"

"Whoever dares to slack off on me, I'll throw them into the Relic Furnace to be refined right now!"

Hearing this, the slaves quickened their pace, terrified of being thrown into the Relic Furnace.

Piles of crystalline energy crystals, radiating rich life energy, were thrown into the Relic Furnace, the high heat licking at every slave who came near.

Even though approaching the Relic Furnace would burn them, energy crystals would cut their skin, and long hours of labor caused severe physical pain, these slaves still showed no signs of stopping.

They were all gaunt, and it would be no exaggeration to say they were nothing but skin and bones.

Behind a pile of energy crystals in the distance, the ground sank with a rustling sound, and a pair of bright eyes peeked out from a small hole.

After listening carefully for a while and comparing what she heard with a dictionary, Su Qingyue returned underground.

"How is it?"

The others gathered around curiously; they could hear the gibberish above but couldn't understand a word of it.

"It seems to be a factory here, and the Abyssal Race inside is adding energy crystals into a furnace."

"They mentioned the Venerable's plan, and I feel it has something to do with this mission."

Chen Mo frowned; this little bit of information didn't lead to any conclusion.

Then what about his own mission?

Soon, another commotion came from above, and without thinking, Su Qingyue poked her head out again to observe.

She saw a Gray-skirted woman appear beside the overseer at some point, whispering something.

Su Qingyue focused her attention, fully activating her True Sight Eye, and only then could she barely discern the content of their conversation by reading their lips.

A few minutes later, a pale-faced Su Qingyue returned underground, taking out her dictionary to painstakingly verify if what she had heard was correct.

Soon, Su Qingyue reached a conclusion.

"Chen Mo, we have a problem."

"That furnace seems to be some kind of Abyssal relic capable of bypassing Luofeng Fortress to open an Abyssal Rift directly."

"The master of this city, Venerable Bai Ye, intends to use this thing to launch a direct attack on the very rear of Luofeng Fortress..."

In an instant, their expressions changed drastically, realizing how critically important this intelligence was.

"It will take us a long time to return now, and by then, they will likely be ready."

Once she entered a state of anxiety, Su Qingyue habitually began to bite her hand.

"We've wasted too much time. Their location is too hidden. I just went out to scout the surroundings and discovered that this is deep within Baiye City, a place that scouts cannot reach."

"The best solution right now is to split up."

After thinking for a moment, Chen Mo made his decision.

As the captain of this squad, he still had the authority to make decisions.

"Su Qingyue, you and I will stay behind to find a way to blow up that furnace. Xia Li, Lin Ye, Shen Zhou, you three go back, pick up Wen Wan, and return to Luofeng Fortress immediately!"

"But..."

Xia Li wanted to say that it was too dangerous, but looking at Chen Mo's determined gaze, she ultimately said nothing.

"Su Qingyue, do you trust me?"

Chen Mo turned to look at Su Qingyue, waiting for her answer.

If Su Qingyue thought this wouldn't work, he would stay behind alone to find a way.

Su Qingyue didn't make a sound; blue light flickered continuously in her eyes before she finally closed them.

"Chen Mo, the mortality rate of the plan is 80 percent."

"Not the failure rate, the mortality rate."

"Then there's still a 20 percent chance we can survive and succeed."

Chen Mo shrugged; it was better than a 100 percent certainty of death. As long as there was hope, it was worth a gamble.

Luofeng Fortress occupied a vast area, but the rear was entirely inhabited by the families of the Luofeng Fortress soldiers.

Further back were ordinary civilians; if the Abyssal Race invaded, the consequences would be self-evident.

"Then I'll risk my life with you once."

Su Qingyue gritted her teeth. Normally, with her cautious personality that preferred to calculate everything to perfection, she wouldn't do this.

But now, she carried the future of countless ordinary people and Luofeng Fortress on her shoulders, so she had to risk her life this once.

"Good."

Chen Mo nodded. Su Qingyue's True Sight Eye provided a huge boost for him.

This didn't mean the others lacked talent, but in the current situation, Su Qingyue's True Sight Eye was the most suitable for staying behind.

"You must return immediately and absolutely do not look back."

"Also, tell Captain Zhang to bring people to meet us. I'm afraid of being killed halfway while running."

"I'll give you one day. After one day, we will make our move."

Chen Mo was reckless, but that didn't mean he was stupid.

He struggled to fight even one Abyss Centurion, let alone the Venerable, who was comparable to a Grandmaster.

"Understood."

Shen Zhou nodded and, taking Lin Ye and Xia Li, started on the road back.

"Alright, let's adjust our states, eat and drink our fill, and get ready to cause some trouble."

Chen Mo was actually a bit anxious inside, contemplating how he could blow that thing up.

...

Compared to the journey there, the return trip was much faster.

It only took them three or four hours to return to the human-powered armored vehicle, and they were momentarily stunned to see Wen Wan huddled in a corner.

"How did it go? Where is Chen Mo?"

Wen Wan sat up the moment they returned, peering behind the three of them.

"Chen Mo stayed behind because there's another plan to execute. Let's take the news back first!"

Shen Zhou pulled open the car door, sat down on the seat, and prepared to pedal.

But no matter how much force he used, the pedals wouldn't budge, as if they had been welded shut.

"It's no good, forget the vehicle, let's walk back!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Zhou immediately made the decision.

This was a race against time; wasting even a tiny bit of time would make the situation for Chen Mo and Luofeng Fortress even more dangerous!

"Wen Wan, can you keep up with us?"

Regarding Wen Wan, Shen Zhou had always treated her as a dedicated healer, and he didn't know how her stamina was.

"Don't worry, I can!"

Wen Wan flexed her biceps, and faint, subtle muscle lines could be seen on her slender arms.

"I am a Rank 3 Martial Artist, you know. Don't underestimate me."

"?"

The three of them were stunned. It turned out Wen Wan was actually the one with the highest cultivation level among them all?

"Alright, keep up!"

Soon, several figures were sprinting across the wasteland without any concealment, disturbing many wandering Abyssal scouts along the way.

But one thing was strange: those Abyssal scouts lost their trail after chasing them for a while.

"Captain, they're dead."

A figure draped in an earth-gray robe put down the corpse in his hand and spoke to a middle-aged man not far away.

The middle-aged man turned his head; a scar running across his entire face made him look exceptionally ferocious.

"Send the intelligence back and say that Chen Mos Squad has appeared."

"But we didn't see the figures of Chen Mo and Su Qingyue. We suspect they are still in Baiye City!"